VERTIGO Comics we'd like to see on screen

Superhero movies are all the rage, and have been bringing in the big bucks for a long while now. So it makes sense that production companies are scouring through trades and back issue bins in the hopes of finding a comic that can be the next monster hit at the box office.

But what about non superhero comics? While not as obviously popular as their caped counterparts, they still have that comic book cred, especially if they’ve got Marvel or DC printed down the spine of their trade paperbacks. This is why I’m surprised more producers haven’t turned to the more adult line of DC Comics: Vertigo.

Vertigo comics was founded in 1993 by Karen Berger (who went on to become one of the most beloved behind the scenes figures in all of comics). It was devised to allow the company to put out comics that didn’t adhere to the guidelines of the Comics Code Authority (which at the time was important but has since gone on to be ignored by every comic book publishing house), in order to allow creators more freedom with their properties. In a Vertigo comic you would find things you couldn’t ever imagine seeing in a typical DC comic: Swearing, violence, nudity, sexuality, drug use, whatever controversial subject matter you could think of, it could appear, and frequently did appear, in a Vertigo book.

Whereas DC’s standard fare was that of the tights and caped variety, Vertigo leant towards the darker genres, such as hard science fiction, fantasy, and crime. Although this is not to say that the line ignored superhero comics altogether, in fact, before Karen Berger had solidified Vertigo and started putting out titles under that banner, she was still working as editor on numerous DC superhero titles. Berger had scouted a number of writers from the UK who had darker sensibilities than the company’s writing pool at the time (probably because Britain was a dark and grim place in the 80’s, trust me), and put them to work on some of DC’s more fringe characters. Grant Morrison was given Animal Man and The Doom Patrol, Peter Milligan was given Shade the Changing Man, Alan Moore started work on Swamp Thing, and Neil Gaiman was working on a Black Orchid mini-series.  All of these works were wildly experimental, and unlike anything previously seen. Many were quick to declare that comics were growing up. All of these titles were eventually released under the Vertigo imprint.

As time went on Vertigo wasn’t so much associated with adult comics as it was associated with quality comics. Almost everything that was released under the imprint was met with near universal praise. From Garth Ennis’s Preacher, to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, to Peter Milligan’s Enigma. Yet it took a long time for Hollywood to notice.

Wes Craven wrote and directed a Swamp Thing movie (which I haven’t seen, but want to just out of curiosity) way back in 1982, but that has nothing to do with Moore’s Vertigo run.

A Hellblazer adaptation was first up in 2005. The film was called Constantine (after the lead character), and took the series out of Britain, where it’s set in the comics, and moved it over to the states. John was a bored looking Keanu Reeves instead of being a dirty looking Liverpudlian. It sort of adapts Ennis’s Dangerous Habits run, but outside of Constantine coming down with cancer, they aren’t all that similar. It’s not outright awful but fans mainly stayed away. A television series that looks closer to the comic book version of the character (except he’s Welsh, but hey, take what you can get) is set to air later this year.

Also released in 2005 was A History of Violence, which was originally published under Paradox Press but later by Vertigo. The film was directed by one of my favourite directors, David Cronenberg, and starred Viggo Mortensen as a small town cafe owner who gets visited by the mob who claim he used to be one of them. It is, in my not at all unbiased opinion, brilliant. The source material is kind of schlocky and not really all that special, but the film is equal parts neo noir and modern western, and is a fascinating look into the lengths one man will go to escape his past, and to deny the darkness inside himself. The film is faithful to the comic up to a point, but then diverges when it feels it has something more interesting to say. Which it does.

Then there was V for Vendetta. Alan Moore’s V was originally published in Warrior, a British comic that nobody bought and so was cancelled before Moore finished his story. DC convinced Moore to finish it with them and once he did they released the whole thing under the Vertigo line. The film, produced by the Wachowski’s of The Matrix fame, is not without its fans, but many see the film as a watered down, softer version of the story.

There were other film adaptations, from The Losers, based on Andy Diggle’s comic of the same name, to an attempt to make Brian K. Vaughan’s beloved Y: The Last man starring Shia Labeouf (shudder). Neil Gaiman’s Sandman is also in the works, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt set to work on it in some capacity. This is a project that has fans both eagerly anticipating its release as well as being quietly apprehensive, due to the fact it is one of the most well regarded comic book runs of all time.

But what Vertigo comic would you guys love to see up on the big screen? Or the small screen for that matter. What are you anticipating in terms of what’s already been announced, and what are you hopeful to see one day getting made?

As far as the announced projects, I’m interested to see AMC’s television series based on Garth Ennis’s Preacher. Comedy superstar Seth Rogan and his writing partner Evan Goldberg, who were behind the surprisingly fun This is the End, are taking writing duties on the show and have recently stated that they plan on deviating slightly from the comics. They’ll be keeping the cornerstones of the piece, the parts that have to happen, but they aren’t afraid to let an idea take them in a different direction. This is no bad thing. I’m interested to see this on screen because the tone of the book is so odd and specific that I’m wondering how they are going to capture it without the show going too over the top. I mean, a guy f***ing meat in a comic is one thing, but seeing it on TV is a whole other kettle of fish. AMC have one huge hit comic adaptation on their hands already with The Walking Dead, they’re hoping Vertigo will deliver their next one.

In terms of projects not yet announced (at least to my knowledge), there are a slew of exciting possibilities. Joshua Dysart’s reimagining of the Unknown Soldier is a fantastic little run. The fact is was cruelly cancelled and forced to wrap up early does mean that it’s pretty much the pretty length for a film and could make for a wonderfully powerful movie full of excitement and social commentary.  

Comics went through a period where it seemed every writer was trying to capture the look, tone, and feel of a HBO show. Well two of them managed it, and have the smarts, grit, and outright quality to deserve becoming an actual HBO show. Jason Aaron’s Scalped is a dirty, hard hitting, and completely immersive look at life on an Indian Reservation. It’s so real you can taste the dirt in the air. And the cast of characters are as well developed as HBO’s The Soprano’s (which what everyone compared Scalped to when it was first released). The other comic that I could see popping up on HBO is Brian Wood’s DMZ. The book deals with a second American civil war that turns Manhattan in a demilitarized zone (hence DMZ) caught between the free states of America and the United States of America. It is a fascinating allegory for post 9/11 America.

If Sandman does indeed get made, and becomes a successful franchise I would happily watch the spin off series Lucifer, which follows the devil himself after he vacates Hell and opens a piano bar in L.A.

Or there’s Transmetropolitan, a glorious sci-fi political satire. Or Sweet Tooth, a Disney movie if it was written by Cormac McCarthy. Or Northlanders, a violent look as life as a Viking. Or American Vampire. Or The Invisibles. Or 100 Bullets, a property that was briefly linked to Showtime and David Goyer.

But if I could pick one piece of work from Vertigo’s extensive catalogue, I’d pick Peter Milligan’s Enigma. I don’t think it would make that great a movie. It’s one of those comics that works best as a comic. But I’d pick it none the less. I’d pick it because then it would get reprinted and people would actually get a chance to read this forgotten gem.

So many great comics. So many possibilities. So come on Hollywood, get on it.